Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 41
For the choir director; a psalm by David.
1 Blessed is the one who has concern for helpless people.
Yahweh will rescue him in times of trouble.
2 Yahweh will protect him and keep him alive.
He will be blessed in the land.
Do not place him at the mercy of his enemies.
3 Yahweh will support him on his sickbed.
You will restore this person to health when he is ill.
4 I said, “O Yahweh, have pity on me!
Heal my soul because I have sinned against you.”
5 My enemies say terrible things about me:
“When will he die, and when will his family name disappear?”
6 When one of them comes to visit me, he speaks foolishly.
His heart collects gossip.
Then he leaves to tell others.
7 Everyone who hates me whispers about me.
They think evil things about me and say,
8 “A devilish disease has attached itself to him.
He will never leave his sickbed.”
9 Even my closest friend whom I trusted,
the one who ate my bread,
has lifted his heel against me.
10 Have pity on me, O Yahweh!
Raise me up so that I can pay them back
11 and my enemy cannot shout in triumph over me.
When you do this, I know that you are pleased with me.
12 You defend my integrity,
and you set me in your presence forever.
13 Thank Yahweh Elohim of Israel through all eternity!
Amen and amen!
Psalm 52
For the choir director; a maskil; a psalm by David when Doeg (who was from Edom) told Saul that David had come to Ahimelech’s home.
1 Why do you brag about the evil you’ve done, you hero?
The mercy of El lasts all day long!
2 Your tongue makes up threats.
It’s like a sharp razor, you master of deceit.
3 You prefer evil to good.
You prefer lying to speaking the truth. Selah
4 You love every destructive accusation, you deceitful tongue!
5 But El will ruin you forever.
He will grab you and drag you out of your tent.
He will pull your roots out of this world of the living. Selah
6 Righteous people will see this and be struck with fear.
They will laugh at you and say,
7 “Look at this person who refused to make Elohim his fortress!
Instead, he trusted his great wealth
and became strong through his greed.”
8 But I am like a large olive tree in Elohim’s house.
I trust the mercy of Elohim forever and ever.
9 I will give thanks to you forever
for what you have done.
In the presence of your godly people,
I will wait with hope in your good name.
Psalm 44
For the choir director; a maskil by Korah’s descendants.
1 O Elohim,
we have heard it with our own ears.
Our ancestors have told us
about the miracle you performed in their day,
in days long ago.
2 By your power you forced nations out of the land,
but you planted our ancestors there.
You shattered many groups of people,
but you set our ancestors free.[a]
3 It was not with their swords that they took possession of the land.
They did not gain victory with their own strength.
It was your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your presence that did it,
because you were pleased with them.
4 You alone are my Melek, O Elohim.
You won those victories for Jacob.
5 With you we can walk over our enemies.
With your name we can trample those who attack us.
6 I do not rely on my bow,
and my sword will never save me.
7 But you saved us from our enemies.
You put to shame those who hate us.
8 All day long we praise our Elohim.
We give thanks to you forever. Selah
9 But now you have rejected and disgraced us.
You do not even go along with our armies.
10 You make us retreat from the enemy.
Those who hate us rob us at will.
11 You hand us over to be butchered like sheep
and scatter us among the nations.
12 You sell your people for almost nothing,
and at that price you have gained nothing.
13 You made us a disgrace to our neighbors
and an object of ridicule and contempt to those around us.
14 You made our defeat a proverb among the nations
so that people shake their heads at us.
15 All day long my disgrace is in front of me.
Shame covers my face
16 because of the words of those who insult and slander us,
because of the presence of the enemy and the avenger.
17 Although all of this happened to us,
we never forgot you.
We never ignored your promise.[b]
18 Our hearts never turned away.
Our feet never left your path.
19 Yet, you crushed us in a place for jackals
and covered us with the shadow of death.
20 If we forgot the name of our Elohim
or stretched out our hands to pray to another god,
21 wouldn’t Elohim find out,
since he knows the secrets in our hearts?
22 Indeed, we are being killed all day long because of you.
We are thought of as sheep to be slaughtered.
23 Wake up! Why are you sleeping, O Adonay?
Awake! Do not reject us forever!
24 Why do you hide your face?
Why do you forget our suffering and misery?
25 Our souls are bowing in the dust.
Our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Arise! Help us!
Rescue us because of your mercy!
Elihu Decides to Speak to Job
32 These three men stopped answering Job because Job thought he was righteous. 2 Then Elihu, son of Barachel, a descendant of Buz from the family of Ram, became very angry with Job because Job thought he was more righteous than Elohim. 3 Elihu was also very angry with Job’s three friends because they had found no answer. They made it look as if Elohim[a] were wrong. 4 Elihu waited as they spoke to Job because they were older than he was. 5 When Elihu saw that the three men had no further responses, he became very angry.
Elihu Speaks: The Reason for Elihu’s Discourse
6 So Elihu, son of Barachel, the descendant of Buz, replied to Job,
“I am young, and you are old.
That’s why I refrained from speaking
and was afraid to tell you what I know.
7 I thought, ‘Age should speak,
and experience should teach wisdom.’
8 However, there is in humans a Ruach,
the breath of Shadday, that gives them understanding.
9 People do not become wise merely because they live long.
They don’t understand what justice is merely because they’re old.
10 “That is why I say, ‘Listen to me!
Let me tell you what I know.’
19 My belly is like a bottle of wine that has not been opened,
like new wineskins that are ready to burst.
20 I must speak to get relief.
I must open my mouth and answer.
21 I won’t be partial toward anyone
or flatter anyone.
22 I don’t know how to flatter.
If I did, my maker would soon carry me away.
Elihu Continues: Listen, Job
33 “Please, Job, listen to my words
and consider everything I say.
19 In pain on their sickbeds, they are disciplined
with endless aching in their bones
20 so that their whole being hates food
and they lose their appetite for a delicious meal.
21 Their flesh becomes so thin that it can’t be seen.
Their bones, not seen before, will be exposed.
22 Their souls approach the pit.
Their lives come close to those already dead.
A Third Way God Warns People
23 “If they have a messenger for them,
a spokesman, one in a thousand,
to tell people what is right for them,
24 then he will have pity on them and say,
‘Free them from going into the pit.
I have found a ransom.’
25 Then their flesh will become softer than a child’s.
They will go back to the days of their youth.
26 They will pray to Eloah, who will be pleased with them.
They will see Eloah’s face and shout for joy
as he restores their righteousness.[a]
27 Each one sings in front of other people and says,
‘I sinned and did wrong instead of what was right,
and it did me no good.
28 The messenger has freed my soul from going into the pit,
and my life will see the light.’
44 On the next day of worship, almost the whole city gathered to hear the Lord’s word. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they became very jealous. They used insulting language to contradict whatever Paul said.
46 Paul and Barnabas told them boldly, “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject the word and consider yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, we are now going to turn to people of other nations. 47 The Lord gave us the following order:
‘I have made you a light for the nations
so that you would save people all over the world.’”
48 The people who were not Jews were pleased with what they heard and praised the Lord’s word. Everyone who had been prepared for everlasting life believed. 49 The word of the Lord spread throughout the whole region. 50 But Jews stirred up devout women of high social standing and the officials of the city. These people started to persecute Paul and Barnabas and threw them out of their territory.
51 In protest against these people, Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet and went to the city of Iconium. 52 Meanwhile, the disciples in Antioch continued to be full of joy and the Holy Spirit.
19 The Jews were divided because of what Yeshua said. 20 Many of them said, “He’s possessed by a demon! He’s crazy! Why do you listen to him?” 21 Others said, “No one talks like this if he’s possessed by a demon. Can a demon give sight to the blind?”
The Jews Reject Jesus
22 The Festival of the Dedication of the Temple took place in Jerusalem during the winter. 23 Yeshua was walking on Solomon’s porch in the temple courtyard.
24 The Jews surrounded him. They asked him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
25 Yeshua answered them, “I’ve told you, but you don’t believe me. The things that I do in my Father’s name testify on my behalf. 26 However, you don’t believe because you’re not my sheep. 27 My sheep respond to my voice, and I know who they are. They follow me, 28 and I give them eternal life. They will never be lost, and no one will tear them away from me. 29 My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than everyone else, and no one can tear them away from my Father. 30 The Father and I are one.”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.